The Thadou Inpi Manipur (TIM), the apex body of the Thadou community, has submitted a 35-page memorandum to the Government of India and the state governments of Manipur and Assam, demanding the immediate abrogation of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with Kuki militant groups. TIM argued that the pact, instead of bringing peace, has enabled violence, persecution, and criminal activities against the Thadou people.

The memorandum underscores the Thadou’s distinct identity, asserting that they are neither Kukis nor a subset of them, but a separate ethnic group. It traces the roots of current tensions to what it calls the rise of “Kuki supremacy ideology” in the 1970s and subsequent militancy in the late 1980s. The document describes “Kuki” as a colonial construct, noting that in Myanmar, Thadous are officially recognised under the Chin community with their own census code.

According to TIM, the SoO has provided political cover to Kuki militants, enabling them to establish a “parallel authority” that undermines democratic institutions while carrying out what it terms “cultural genocide” against the Thadou. It accuses Kuki organisations and churches, including the Kuki National Organisation (KNO), Kuki Inpi, KSO, and Kuki Christian Council, of driving hate campaigns and extremist agendas. Individuals such as KNO president P.S. Haokip and Saikot MLA Paolienlal Haokip were also named in the document as alleged promoters of extremist ideology.

TIM further alleged widespread violations of democratic processes, including booth capturing, voter intimidation, and bloc voting, which it claims disenfranchised Thadous. The memorandum also cites financial crimes, misuse of welfare schemes, arms smuggling, and recruitment of youths into cross-border outfits like the Kuki National Army-Burma.

The organisation strongly linked the SoO to the rise of poppy cultivation and drug trafficking, claiming Manipur has been turned into a hub comparable to the Golden Triangle. It warned of the devastating social and environmental impact of drug abuse and deforestation.

TIM also accused SoO cadres of direct involvement in violent incidents, citing the May 3, 2023 Torbung-Bangla attack and the recent killing of Pu Nehkam Jomhao, Chairman of the Thadou Literature Society, in Assam’s Karbi Anglong on August 30, 2025. It alleged Jomhao was murdered by Kuki militants for defending Thadou identity.

Declaring the SoO “unconstitutional and indefinite in nature,” TIM warned that its continuation poses a grave threat to India’s integrity. The memorandum urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and other authorities to annul the pact immediately, arguing that two decades of the SoO have resulted only in instability, terrorism, and systematic persecution of the Thadou community.